'Seek' in the Bible

Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.”

then the priest shall look at him, and if the scale has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellowish hair; he is unclean.

‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

Thus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them.

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness.

who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.

But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come.

You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.

May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you?

Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.”

Now David became aware that Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.

When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

“Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal.

Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.

Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”

When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the stronghold.

and I will bring back all the people to you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at peace.”

So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”

He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria.

They went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.”

Because you did not carry it at the first, the Lord our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.”

Glory in His holy name;Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

Seek the Lord and His strength;Seek His face continually.

Joab said, “May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?”

Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek after all the commandments of the Lord your God so that you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever.

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.

and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their fathers and to observe the law and the commandment.

and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.

They entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;

and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David’s earlier days and did not seek the Baals,

But there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.”

Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

So Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord.

He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.

everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”

For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images.

they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”

The sons of Israel who returned from exile and all those who had separated themselves from the impurity of the nations of the land to join them, to seek the Lord God of Israel, ate the Passover.

Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.”

So now do not give your daughters to their sons nor take their daughters to your sons, and never seek their peace or their prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the land and leave it as an inheritance to your sons forever.’

When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

“But as for me, I would seek God,And I would place my cause before God;

“Why then do You not pardon my transgressionAnd take away my iniquity?For now I will lie down in the dust;And You will seek me, but I will not be.”

“If you would seek GodAnd implore the compassion of the Almighty,

That You should seek for my guiltAnd search after my sin?

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You,For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him.All his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of menTo see if there are any who understand,Who seek after God.

The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.Let your heart live forever!

This is the generation of those who seek Him,Who seek Your face—even Jacob. Selah.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,To behold the beauty of the LordAnd to meditate in His temple.

When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”

The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.

Depart from evil and do good;Seek peace and pursue it.

Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.

Those who seek my life lay snares for me;And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction,And they devise treachery all day long.

Let those be ashamed and humiliated togetherWho seek my life to destroy it;Let those be turned back and dishonoredWho delight in my hurt.

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;Let those who love Your salvation say continually,“The Lord be magnified!”

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

But those who seek my life to destroy it,Will go into the depths of the earth.

May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts;May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

The humble have seen it and are glad;You who seek God, let your heart revive.

Let those be ashamed and humiliatedWho seek my life;Let those be turned back and dishonoredWho delight in my hurt.

Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;And let those who love Your salvation say continually,“Let God be magnified.”

Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed;Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me.

My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt.

Fill their faces with dishonor,That they may seek Your name, O Lord.

He will cover you with His pinions,And under His wings you may seek refuge;His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

The young lions roar after their preyAnd seek their food from God.

Glory in His holy name;Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

Seek the Lord and His strength;Seek His face continually.

Let his children wander about and beg;And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.

How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,Who seek Him with all their heart.

And I will walk at liberty,For I seek Your precepts.

Salvation is far from the wicked,For they do not seek Your statutes.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant,For I do not forget Your commandments.

For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,I will seek your good.

“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,

If you seek her as silverAnd search for her as for hidden treasures;

“Therefore I have come out to meet you,To seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you.

“I love those who love me;And those who diligently seek me will find me.

“They struck me, but I did not become ill;They beat me, but I did not know it.When shall I awake?I will seek another drink.”

Evil men do not understand justice,But those who seek the Lord understand all things.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,But justice for man comes from the Lord.

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.

and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.